How many times have you embarked on a trip with a strict budget? You book your flight with miles, plan your itinerary ahead to avoid impromptu purchases, and even take your full budget out of the ATM and pay for everything with cash so you know just how much you've spent. Then you watch solemnly as that budget flies right out the window on day two and you've officially entered splurge territory.
The good news is that there are fantastic budget-friendly alternatives to most of Europe's most travel-worthy, but wallet-thinning cities. Can't really afford a Paris jaunt? Why not book a weekend in Montreal? You'll still have the chance to get tripped up by a language barrier, walk cobblestoned streets, and take pictures of the Notre Dame (Basilica). Yearning for the sumptuous cuisine and history of Florence? Spend less by booking a flight for Lisbon instead, where delectable dishes and stunning architecture abound. There is also the added bonus of venturing to a locale not as oft-traveled as its pricier counterpart.
Feel like indulging in the island life? Ibiza is one of the world's best known party spots, but that means peak prices and early bookings unless you spring for nearby Mallorca -- also off the coast of Spain. There may be less techno music, but white-sand beaches, fabulous people watching, and mouth-watering cuisine are all on offer at a fraction of the cost.
Ultimately, nothing can replace the real thing, but just because you've caught the travel bug, don't fret - your budget won't start deteriorating as soon as you take those vacation days. Feel that familiar rush of immersing yourself in a new place, culture, and cuisine in these substitute cities that definitely don't disappoint.
- Nicole Campoy-Leffler, The Daily Meal (Research by Leora Novick)
Notes: All approx. prices are averages based on a search for one week in October and are subject to change.
Restaurants and hotels are all comparable for their respective cities.
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It is a very lovely and neglected city with much lower prices than Rome or Florence. Just don't go there looking for ancient, medieval or reneaissance art and architecture - there isn't much. Instead find a city where baroque meets art nouveau and Italy's culture is influenced by both France and Central Europe. Lovely and spectacular baroque churches; an inconic art nouveau observation tower with a cinema museum; easy access to the alps -- which can be seen from the city; and the largest Egyptian museum outside of Cairo.
Turkey is also meant to be brilliant and very cheap. So is Eastern Europe, which isn't scary btw.
I would put it this way:
London - Brussels
Paris - Rome (Rome is cheap, and similarly iconic)
Vienna - Budapest (Vienna is stuffy and pricey, Budapest is the opposite)
Madrid - Lisbon (waaay cheaper)
Florence - Dubrovnik/Ljubljana
Prague - Zagreb
St. Petersburg - Riga/Kiev (hard to compete, but similarly Slavic and impressive)
Amsterdam - Hamburg
Moscow - Berlin (both Cold War fortresses, Imperial capitals, lots of history)
Something like that. And this isn't counting cities in other continents -- then you'd have tons of Latin American cities (Quito, Montevideo, Antigua, etc) all over this list, and a few Middle Eastern and Asian ones as well (maybe some South Africa too).
Another badly concocted article.
This is what happens when one does not pay attention in geography classes. (Do they even have geography classes, still?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf670orHKcA